WPR

Ohio Population 2014

Ohio sits in the U.S.'s Midwest, linking the country's Northeast to the Midwest. The state has one of the most central locations in the country with the 10th largest highway network. It's also just a day's drive within 50% of all of North America's population.

Ohio has an intersting history, and despite being only the 34th largest state, it is the 7th most populous and 10th most densely populated in the country with an estimated 2013 population of 11,548,087. Still, it has one of the lowest growth rates in the nation, growing at a rate of just 0.03%, which ranks 47th in the country.

Ohio Population 2014

The last official Census occurred in 2010, showing Ohio had a population of 11,536,504. This number has increased slightly to 11,548,087 in three years, representing a very slight growth rate.

While Ohio's growth is slow, it's still ahead of the rest of the country. Ohio has a population density of 282 people per square feet, ranking 10th in the nation, with a total land area of 44,825 square feet, which ranks 34th.

Ohio's population is spread throughout the state with many major cities. Columbus, the capital, has the highest population with 787,000 residents, followed by Cleveland (396,800), Cincinnati (296,900), Toledo (287,000) and Akron (199,000).

Interestingly, the cities are wildly different when it comes to demographics and growth. While Columbus is growing rapidly, at a rate of 10% every decade, Cleveland by comparison is losing people at an alarming rate. In 1950, more than 900,000 people lived in Cleveland, and it’s population is declining at a rate similar to decaying cities like Detroit.

Ohio Demographics

According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Ohio was:

82.7% White (81.1%)

12.2% Black or African American

0.2% Native American

1.7% Asian

0.03% Pacific Islander

2.1% Two or more races

1.1% Other

3.1% Hispanics or Latinos of any race

Today, nearly one-third of Ohio's population under the age of 1 belongs to a minority group. The largest ancestry groups are: German (26.5%), Irish (14.5%), English (9.0%), Slavic countries including Poland, Russia and Croatia (8.0%), Italian (6.4%), French (2.5%) and Scottish (1.9%).

Ohio Population History

In 1800, the population of Ohio was recorded at 45,365 but like most states in the country, an explosion in numbers was just over the horizon. Ten years later in 1810, the Census of that year showed that the figures had leaped by over 400% to 230,760. This was the biggest rise in Ohio population on a census by census basis but further impressive growth was to follow through the decades.

By the start of the 20th century, the number of people in Ohio had climbed to 4,157,545 and impressive percentage increases were experienced for much of the rest of the century. From 1970 onwards however, growth started to slow down gradually, although it is still increasing, as evidenced by the rise reported in the 2010 census.

Ohio Population Growth

The question for the 2020 Census is whether Ohio's population can rise above 12 million. If a similar rise to that seen between 2000 and 2010 occurs, then it won’t make it. But population statistics in Ohio are sometimes a bit up and down – in the 10 years between 1990 and 2000, population rose by more than 4%, and if that rise was replicated between 2010 and 2020, it might just make it past 12 million in time for the next census.

It's currently estimated that Ohio will continue its very slow growth, not even breaking 11.7 million between 2020 and 2030.